Potato and Parsnip Parmesan Mash

If you know me then you know my deep love for mash potatoes. Of course I couldn’t have buttermilk in the house and not make some!

I’m pretty sure that is against the Homecooking Law and I didn’t want the council to come after me.

I decided to spiff things up a bit by adding in some parsnips that needed used up along with some cheese and lemon.

Andrea’s Potato and Parsnip Parmesan Mash

  • 1 Very Large Parsnip (or 2 med sized), peeled and chunked
  • 1/2lb Golden or Russet Potatoes (about 4 med sized), peeled and chunked
  • 2TBSP Butter
  • 1/4-1/3C Buttermilk (homemade, or noncultured)
  • 1/2TBSP Lemon Zest
  • 1/4C-1/3C Grated Parmesan Cheese
  • Salt and ground black pepper

Place the potatoes and parsnip in a large pot of cold water.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until the parsnip is tender.  About 15 minutes.

Drain veggies, and place back in the hot pot.  Gently stir just to remove any extra liquid.  Place potatoes and parsnips in your stand mixer bowl.

Fit stand mixer with the paddle attachement.

Add in a large pinch of salt, and a generous amount of black pepper.

Add in the butter and the buttermilk, starting with 1/4C of buttermilk.

Mix until everything is combined.  Add in more buttermilk if needed.  At this point add in the lemon zest and the parmesan cheese.  Mix until everything is well combined.

Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.  Serve warm!

Creamy and full of cheesy goodness!  Parsnips have a touch of a lemon flavor to me which is what inspired me to add in the zest.  Next time I’m going to add in a little bit more zest for a little more umph.

Great the first time around and even better as leftovers.  Adding an egg and creating potato pancakes out of the leftovers would taste lovely!

If you don’t have a stand mixer, a large bowl and hand mixer will work just fine.

Have fun guys, and remember, always play with your food!  Enjoy!

Buttermilk Cheddar Grits With Greens

I have fallen in love with grits. Hard.

I used to make us polenta all the time but skipped over the grits.  One fateful day the store was out of polenta so I bought grits instead.

No biggie right, they’re basically the same?

Oh well. Lesson learned because they are not the same (though cooking them is the same), grits are creamier and smoother.  Polenta can be a little rough and grainy, and grits are having none of that.

While I don’t dislike polenta, I’m pretty sure that I’m going to be Team Grits from here on out.

Andrea’s Buttermilk Cheddar Grits with Greens

  • 1 1/2C Chicken Stock
  • 1/2C Grits
  • 1TBSP Butter
  • 1/2C Buttermilk (homemade, or uncultured buttermilk)
  • 1/2C Shredded Cheddar (get the good stuff)
  • 3C Chopped Kale (regular or baby, you pick)
  • Salt, pepper, olive oil for sauteeing (about 1/2TBSP)

In a medium sized sauce pot, add in the stock and bring to a boil.  Add in the grits, reduce heat to medium and whisk until the grits start to thicken up.  About 5 minutes.  Turn off heat, put a lid on the pot and set aside.

In a sautee pan, add in the olive oil and heat over medium heat.  Add in the greens, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and sautee until the greens are wilted and cooked through.  Turn off heat.

Back to the grits, heat over low and add in the butter, buttermilk, and cheese.  Stir until everything is combined.  Add in the greens and stir again.  Heat over low for about 5 minutes to let everything come together.

Turn off heat and serve immediately.

 I highly recommend serving this with a fried egg (or two) on top.  That combo is my new favorite breakfast item.  Also my new favorite dinner item.

The greens give a nice bit of texture and bite to the otherwise super creamy grits.  The cheddar gives it a kick while the buttermilk sweetens and takes some of the bitter out of the kale.

Grits won’t ever be the same once you add in some greens.

If you’re feeding more than two people or if you really love grits, I would up the amounts of everything.

1C of grits with 3 C of stock.  Adjust greens and cheese to your tastes.

Have fun guys and remember, always play with your food!  Enjoy!

Memorial Weekend Eats

Memorial Day weekend is coming up and it’s time to start planning all the grub that you’re going to put out! If you are in need of some ideas, I’ve got some coming your way!

Tequila Brined Chicken can easily be made on the grill.  Either go the beer can route or you can quarter it up and grill it in pieces.

Got leftover chicken? Use it to make some mayo-less chicken salad!

Want a veggie dish that can stand up next to all the potato salads and baked beans?  Bring something a little different to the table with some Asian Noodles in a Coconut Peanut Sauce.

And don’t think I forgot the dips because that would be crazy talk.

Horseradish Onion Dip better than anything that requires you to use dehydrated onions from a packet.

And just for fun:

Beer Mustard Dip, cheesy creamy goodness.

Have fun this holiday weekend! Stay safe, drink some beer, and eat a little too much!

Keep It Simple: My Favorite Rice

We have rice once a week in our house at least. Both of us love rice, but our styles vary.

Scott loves plain white Jasmine rice and I like my rice to have a little something going on.

It doesn’t have to be much but something!

I came up with a solution that satisfies us both!  It’s got enough UMPH that it isn’t plain and it’s doesn’t have so much UMPH that it turns into something else.

It has become my favorite rice and whenever I have all the ingredients on hand, it’s what I make.  I do my little happy dance if I get a chance to eat this rice.

Andrea’s Favorite Rice

  • 1C White Jasmine Rice
  • 2C Chicken or Beef Stock
  • 3 Green Onions, finely chopped
  • 1/2tsp Soy Sauce

In a medium sized sauce pan add stock and soy sauce, and bring up to a boil.  Add in rice and cook until rice is done.  About 10 minutes.

Once rice is cooked, add in the green onion and stir.

Serve and enjoy!

See, super easy to make! And perfectly tasty!  Just enough green onion to give it some kick but not so much that it becomes oniony and overpowering.

The soy sauce is just enough to give a little bit of additional background flavor.

I always make rice with stock because it gives it more flavor and a little bit more of a nutrient bump.  If you want to use water though, go right ahead.

Keep things simple and you’ll have a great dish every time!

Cabbage And Radish Slaw

The inspiration for this dish comes from tacos!  Food trucks are a pretty big deal in Columbus and have a huge following.

When Scott and I started frequenting taco trucks, I noticed that a lot of tacos are actually served with shredded cabbage and sometimes sliced radish with a wedge of lime.

This was a new thing for me, I had not seen that before on tacos.  Most likely due to the fact that I had never been to a taco truck before where traditions are kept in tact and simple is the rule.

I loved this combo and decided to incorporate that into our tacos at home.  I just took it a step further and created a quick little slaw with the ingredients.

Andrea’s Cabbage and Radish Slaw

  • 1/4 Medium Sized Cabbage, thinly sliced
  • 8-10 Radishes, finely chopped
  • Juice of 1 Lime
  • 2TBSP Red Wine Vinegar
  • Handful of cilantro, chopped
  • 1tsp Hot Sauce
  • 2TBSP Olive Oil
  • 2tsp Cane Sugar
  • Pinch chili powder and garlic powder (no more than 1/4tsp each)
  • Pinch of Salt and Pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and allow to chill for one hour before serving.

We had ours with some carnitas tacos.  This can be eaten as a side dish as well or pair with my black bean and corn salsa for a veggie taco.

Have fun guys and remember, always play with your food!  Enjoy!

Keep It Simple: Sweet and Spicy Green Beans

Greenbeans, oh how I love them! I always buy huge batches of them at the farmer’s market when they come in season. Recently I discovered frozen haricots vert at my local Whole Foods and have fallen in love.

I let them sit in a little bit of water to thaw out, drain, and then they are ready for whatever you want to do with them.

I experimented and did a little sweet and spicy action which has now turned into my favorite way to have greenbeans.

We have these often as a sidedish and I make sure to  make a huge batch!

This isn’t an exact recipe because I adjust the amounts based on how I feel that day (more spicy? more sweet?) and how much greenbeans I’m using.  Below are approximate guesses, feel free to adjust to suit your tastes.

Andrea’s Sweet and Spicy Greenbeans

  • 1/2lb of Frozen Haricots Vert (thawed)
  • 1TBSP Chili and Garlic Sauce (found in the Asian aisle at the grocery store)
  • 2TBSP Honey
  • 1/2tsp Soy Sauce
  • Sprinkle of sesame seeds
  • 1/2TBSP Olive Oil

In a medium size sauce pan, heat olive oil and add in the haricot vert.  Add in the remaining ingredients, toss till coated and heat for about 2-3 minutes until everything has combined and the haricots vert is heated through.

Remove and serve immediately!

 

Gorgeous and quick to make.  You can use regular frozen greenbeans if you cannot find haricot vert.  If using fresh, be sure to blanch them first.

Serve these up the next time you need a simple veggie sidedish!

Have fun guys, and remember, always play with your food!

Leftover Idea: Rice Stuffed Zucchini

The other night Scott and I had some rice with dinner and we ended up with some leftovers.

I wanted to use the leftovers for dinner the following evening but there wasn’t enough for each of us to have a regular portion size.  I wasn’t about to throw it away and started searching my fridge and pantry trying to decide how to use it.

That’s when I saw the big zucchini I had just purchased at the store and knew I could combine the two.  This was a super easy dish put together and ready to go in about 20 minutes.

Andrea’s Rice Stuffed Zucchini

  • Leftover rice
  • 1 Large Zucchini, cut in half lengthwise
  • 1/2C Shredded Cheddar Cheese
  • Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil.  Spray with oil or nonstick spray.  Scoop out the insides of the zucchini and discard.  The zucchini half should look hollow and be able to support a stuffing.

In a medium sized mixing bowl combine the rice with the cheese and a little salt and pepper (how much is up to your preference).  Place zucchini halves on baking sheet and begin to stuff them with the rice mixture.  They will be overflowing with mixture.

Place in oven and heat for about 15 minutes or until the zucchini starts to soften.

Remove from oven and serve immediately.

The leftover rice was already seasoned from the night before, I cooked it in chicken stock with a little butter and saffron.  I also added in a touch of soy sauce and green onions at the end.  This is why I didn’t need much in the way of seasoning for making the leftover dish.

I also discarded the insides of the zucchini because it was mostly large seeds.  If you would prefer to use the filling, go ahead and add it to the rice mixture.

The top of the rice got a little crispy as these baked in the oven which was a texture I really liked.  If this isn’t your cup of tea, add about 1TBSP of olive oil to the rice mixture before stuffing the zucchini with it.

I LOVED this side dish and could not get enough of it! You know those seasoned rice packets that are flavored like “broccoli and cheese” and are horrible for you?  This tasted exactly like that!  But you know, homemade and loads healthier.

This is on our list to make again soon!

Have fun guys, and remember, always play with your food! Enjoy!

Leftover Idea: Potato Pancakes

Growing up, we ate these all the time.  Almost every time we had mashed potatoes, my mom would make potato pancakes with the leftovers.  This was what I knew potato pancakes to be.

It wasn’t until I moved away to college in central PA that I learned most people call latkes potato pancakes.  Imagine my surprise when I ordered potato pancakes at a restaurant once and was served up latkes instead of what I know as potato pancakes.

No worries, I adore latkes because I will eat potato just about any way you want to serve it to me!

I honestly am not sure how my mom made her potato pancakes but this is how I do mine.

Amounts on ingredients will vary depending on how much leftover mashed potatoes you have.  If there’s a lot, you will probably need to up the flour and egg amounts.

Andrea’s Potato Pancakes

  • Leftover Mashed Potatoes
  • 3TBSP White Whole Wheat Flour
  • 1 Egg, beaten
  • Breadcrumbs
  • Olive Oil

Combine beaten egg, flour and mashed potatoes.  In a large skillet, heat about 2TBSP of olive oil over medium heat.  Scoop up some potato mixture and form into a small to medium sized patty.  Cover patty with breadcrumbs and gently lay into the skillet.  Repeat until you have used up all the potato mixture.

If you have a lot, consider cooking in two batches.

Cook potato pancake about two minutes on each side, until the breadcrumbs are crisp and the insides are warmed through.  Remove from heat and serve!

These are crispy, and if you’ve soaked your potatoes before mashing, they are light and fluffy.  Great as a side dish and you can also top with gravy if you want.

You probably should.

They can be kept warm in an oven and freeze very well.  When reheating, just place on a baking sheet and heat in a 375 degree oven until they are heated through.

Have fun guys, and remember, always play with your food! Enjoy!

Bourbon Applesauce

Yesterday, I talked about how much bourbon I’ve been using in baking and cooking lately. One of the things I mentioned was making Bourbon Applesauce.

I had some apples that needed used up and quickly! They weren’t good to eat, kind of mealy, a little too soft, and the skin was wrinkled.

I wasn’t about to toss them because I knew they could be used for something!  I thought it over for a couple of days and realized that making applesauce would be the perfect solution!

After cooking the whole thing gets pureed which takes care of the mealy and soft aspects of the less than perfect apples.  The skin gets peeled, so that problem is solved as well!

I’ve made applesauce before but I really wanted something a little different this time around. Something a little more spicy and something with a bit more kick.  Once I realized that I could use bourbon, well everything just fell into place after that!

Keep in mind the measurements for this are estimates because I didn’t write anything down.  Also applesauce isn’t an exact science, it’s very forgiving and easy to adjust amounts based on what you have on hand.

Andrea’s Bourbon Applesauce

  • 1lb Small Apples, Type is up to you but I would go with sweet and semi-sweet.
  • 1/2C Bourbon, split into 1/4C increments
  • 2C Apple Cider
  • 1TBSP, Packed Brown Sugar
  • Cinnamon
  • Ground Allspice
  • Ground Clove

Peel and cut apples into chunks.  Place in a medium sized sauce pan and add cider.  You want the cider to almost cover the apples.  Not completely but close.  Add in cinnamon, allspice, and ground clove along with the brown sugar.  For the spice amounts, go with personal preference.

Bring mixture up to a boil and reduce to a simmer.  Simmer until the apples become cooked through and very soft.  Add in 1/4C bourbon, slowly.  You don’t want a flare up.  You can remove the pan from the heat to do this.  Stir and let simmer again for about 3 minutes.

Remove from heat and place mixture in a blender.  Add in the remaining 1/4C Bourbon and blend until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

Serve warm or can be chilled.  Store in a glass container, will keep up to a week in the fridge.

This has easily turned into my favorite applesauce so far.  I decided to blend it because I wanted a really smooth and creamy applesauce.  Nothing chunky.

We like lots of spice, so I used probably around:

  • 1tsp of Cinnamon
  • 1/2tsp Allspice
  • 1/2tsp Ground Clove

Clove is our favorite and really brings a holiday feel to dishes which is what I was going for with this applesauce.  Using the bourbon makes it a little bit more special.

The deep color is from the cider and the spices.  Since the bourbon and the cider both bring sweetness to the recipe, this is why I only used 1TBSP of brown sugar.  There was enough sugar going on that this recipe really didn’t need any more.

Definitely give this a try for the holiday season!

Have fun guys, and remember, always play with your food! Enjoy!

Double Stuff Squash

Not long ago at the grocery store, I saw some new-to-me squashes and decided to pick some up.  The one I ended up using first was a Sweet Dumpling squash.

I went back and forth about stuffing it because I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to stuff it with, rice or…?

If I had had goat cheese on hand, I would have made a rice concoction.  Since I didn’t, I decided to go with stuffing to stuff the squash.

I used my apple stuffing recipe to keep things very fall-ish feeling.

I cut the squash in half and removed the seeds.  I saved those though because I can roast them!

I preheated the oven to 400.  I filled a baking dish with a little bit of water to create a steam.  I put butter on the exposed squash and sprinkled it with a little all purpose seasoning (similiar to poultry seasoning).

I roasted the squash for about 20 minutes and then flipped it over for another 15 or so.

While that roasted I made the stuffing.  When everything was done, I put the stuffing on top of the squash and called it dinner.

They are not kidding when they call this squash sweet.  Goodness!  It is crazy sweet, like I felt my teeth curl up, kind of sweet.

Scott loved it, I could only handle so much of the sweet before I tapped out.

The texture is amazingly buttery though and oh so creamy.  This would make an excellent casserole or pie.

Next time, I’m definitely going to try and make a rice mixture to go in it.  One that’s really savory and maybe a little spicy to combat all that sweetness.

Have you ever had a sweet dumpling squash before?  Do you eat much squash in the winter?